google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, February 20, 2012 Geoffrey Lewis

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Feb 20, 2012

Monday, February 20, 2012 Geoffrey Lewis

Theme: Erin go Bragh - Four entries that end in an Irish county.



17A. *Get really angry : POP ONE'S CORK. PSA (1:25)

25A. *Belfast-born flutist : JAMES GALWAY. Dame Kiri Te Kanawa & James Galway - "Danny Boy" (5:15)

35A. *2004 loser to George Bush : JOHN KERRY. Image.

51A. *Sandwich request : HOLD THE MAYO. How County Mayo got its name.

60A. One of the four that end this puzzle's starred answers : IRISH COUNTY

Argyle here. Thanking everyone in advance for your birthday wishes; now there is no need to waste space on any greetings. ;-)

I was unable to find any other puzzles by our constructor so this could be a debut. A strong start, in any case, with the unusual tri-stack, seven high, in each corner.

Across:

1. Like Eastwood's Harry : DIRTY. Five films, between 1971 and 1988.

6. Aromatic resin : ELEMI

11. Emeril catchword : "BAM!". The celebrity chef.

14. Start of un año : ENERO. Spanish for January, start of the year

15. Add to the mix : PUT IN. and 19A. Cocktail cooler, in Coblenz : EIS. Coblenz is a German city situated on the banks of the Rhine. EIS, we learned yesterday, is ICE (so Tinbeni will never visit Coblenz).

16. Freudian subject : EGO

20. Paris airport : ORLY

21. Having trouble deciding : TORN

22. Hindu social division : CASTE

24. Fish eggs : ROE

27. "For shame!" : "TUT TUT!". Tried "TSK TSK!" first.

29. Sedative : OPIATE

30. Suffix with bed or home : STEAD

31. Arthur of tennis : ASHE

34. Selected on a ballot, with "in" : Xed

39. Source of quick cash, briefly : ATM

42. Operating system since the '60s : UNIX

43. Ball hit over the wall : HOMER. In fair territory, of course.

47. Steals : SWIPES

50. Title street of kids' TV : SESAME

55. Accomplished : DID

56. Islamic deity : ALLAH

57. College head : DEAN

58. Shower affection (on) : DOTE

59. __ tai: cocktail : MAI

63. Rock producer Brian : ENO

64. Stealthy craft : CANOE

65. Zellweger of "Chicago" : RENÉE. Portrayed Roxie Hart.

66. Room with bookcases : DEN

67. Tolerate : STAND

68. Flowers with swordlike leaves, briefly : GLADS


Down:

1. Expels from the country : DEPORTS

2. "Should I deal you a hand?" : "IN OR OUT?". "Ante up if you're in"

3. Abundantly supplied (with) : REPLETE

4. Helen of __ : TROY. Shout out to Irish Miss of Troy.

5. Partner of hither : YON

6. __ salts : EPSOM

7. "Filthy" dough : LUCRE. Dirty money.

8. Preppy collars : ETONs. A broad white collar worn over the lapels of a jacket.

9. Downed Russian space station : MIR

10. Mushroom with a black-edged top : INK-CAP. Toxicity

11. Secretion used in hives : BEESWAX

12. Stir up : AGITATE

13. Strolled, as to the saloon : MOSEYED

18. French state : ÉTAT

23. "Float like a butterfly" boxer : ALI

25. Karate relative : JUDO

26. Habitué : GOER. Habitué - a frequent visitor to a place (churchgoer; moviegoer)

28. __ Mahal : TAJ

31. Landers or Lee : ANN. (Mother Ann Lee, of the Shakers)

32. Enjoy the slopes : SKI

33. Put a spell on : HEX

36. Awed crowd reaction : HUSH

37. Stat start : RHEO

38. Casual hellos : YOs

39. Humiliated : ASHAMED

40. Like many rural roads : TWO LANE

41. Thousand thousand : MILLION

44. "Papa Don't Preach" singer : MADONNA

45. Radiated : EMITTED

46. Flights leaving around midnight, usually : RED EYEs

48. iPhone, e.g., briefly : PDA. (Personal Digital Assistant)

49. Rules of conduct : ETHICS

50. In __: harmonious : SYNC

52. Twin Cities suburb : EDINA, Minnesota.

53. Subatomic particle : MESON. Something to do with quarks and anti-quarks.

54. Oohed and __ : AAHed

58. Face-off with pistols : DUEL

61. Squealer : RAT

62. Nonprofit's URL ending : .ORG


Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Ha ha, I'm wasting space, but Happy Birthday to dear Argyle, who brings us love, humor and smiles every day. Xie Xie, Santa!

88 comments:

Hungry Mother said...

Nice start for the week. Elemi had me wondering.

Argyle said...

The Wikipedia entry for ELEMI was quite interesting but hard to condense into a blog comment.

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Not a particularly difficult puzzle, even for a Monday, but definitely a bit crunchier than usual. As with others, I was surprised to see ELEMI in a Monday puzzle and hesitated before putting it in. The clue for EIS also slowed me down, simply because I had no idea what country Coblenz is in.

ORLY is another word that I know, but have trouble remembering and was therefore surprised to see it today. Similarly, I've seen EDINA enough times to know it, but still didn't expect to see it in a Monday puzzle.

And I don't know if I've ever seen INK-CAP before or if I've just forgotten it, but fortunately it was easily inferred from the clue (especially with a little help from the perps).

Happy birthday, Argyle!!!

Hahtoolah said...

Happy Lundi Gras, Argyle and friends! At least, i think this is a Monday, but today's puzzle felt more like a Wednesday.

I sure needed the unifier today to get JAMES GALWAY, and I had forgotten already about JOHN KERRY.

I was really stuck on Tsk, Tsk instead of TUT! TUT! as the answer for "For Shame!"

ELEMI is not a Monday word!

Happy Birthday, Argyle. We couldn't let this day pass without a special wish to our Monday and Tuesday commentator!

It will be a quiet day in the office. We don't get President's Day off, but many people will be out in anticipation of Mardi Gras tomorrow.

QOD: It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. ~ Frederick Douglass

thehondohurricane said...

Good day folks,

I think I've mentioned this previously, but puzzles with two sections instead of the more traditional three often give me a lot of difficulty. Today was no exception. For a Monday. I struggled and in the end had a screw up which resulted in a incorrect solution.

Not being familiar with Emeril and German for ice, I had BAP instead of BAM resulting in PONEYED instead of MOSEYED. I thought I'd poneyed up to a bar or two in my life. but I guess I ponied.

Still, despite my failure, I enjoyed the puzzle. It was, as Barry said, a "bit crunchier" than the usual Monday fare. Liked the Irish theme, but MAYO county is a new one for my feeble mind.

Oh well, the rest of the week will be a walk in the park. (In my dreams)

Happy birthday Argyle.

HeartRx said...

H
A
P
P
Y

B
I
R
T
H
D
A
Y

A
R
G
Y
L
E !!!!

windhover said...

Happy Birthday, Dammit. !!

Grumpy 1 said...

Count me among the space wasters, Argyle. I see that all of the government offices are closed in your honor today. Happy, happy!

As I went through this one I kept thinking "Wow, there's going to be a lot of complaints about the non-Monday clues". It turned out to be a 'once across, once down, done' puzzle, which is what a Monday puzzle usually is.

Hand up for Tsk Tsk first, easily corrected with the downs. Other than that, I didn't have any incorrect entries today. That's unusual for me.

Time to check out the Conumdrum puzzle. Later, I'll have to MOSEY on down to the bar, so I can pony up to the bar, POP a CORK and grab a sandwich. HOLD THR MAYO. No EIS needed, thank you.

Middletown Bomber said...

nice Monday entry. happy birthday Argyle.

Tinbeni said...

HBD Argyle: Nice write-up & links.

Theme felt "more like a Wednesday" to me.
OK, I've heard of the IRISH COUNTY of CORK, KERRY & MAYO.
But, since I'm not up on my "Belfast-born flutist" JAMES GALWAY was 100% "all-perps."

My "Non-Monday" answer was the Subatomic particle MESON. Also 100% "all-perps."

Not a fan of any answer for ice.
EIS ... now I'm getting it in German? TUT-TUT!

Never seen INK-CAP mushrooms before.
Interesting article.

Cheers to all at Sunset.

Avg Joe said...

Happy B-Day Argyle!! And thanks for the Danny Boy link. Great way to start the day.

For once I can say I thought the puzzle was pretty simple. The grid was a bit intimidating, but no major stumbles except that G in Galway. Didn't get the Habitue clue so I had to get the unifier before that fell. Never heard of County Mayo, but the other 3 were readily familiar. Fun puzzle.

windhover said...

If you've ever seen the John Wayne movie "The Quiet Man", you've seen County Mayo. It was filmed in and around the small town of Cong, County Mayo. When the Irish and I visited there in 1999, there was a Quiet Man Pub, a QM coffee shop, and a QM B & B.

We met a very nice guy in the QM Pub, Ray McHugh, who gave us a tour of his farm the next morning. When I commented that the town was not quite over the Quiet Man hoopla from 50 years before, he said, "Nah, but I've about had a belly full of it."
BTW, the Guinness IS better in Ireland.

Sfingi said...

Nice Monday puzzle. Novel topic.

I went to an Irish fair once and one tent was selling hats with the name of your Irish county on them. I decided to pass, since mine was "Down." What sort of reaction could I have got with such a hat?
Anyway, all Protestant here since the Reformation.

I sort of think GLADS should be clued as an abbreviation.

Husker Gary said...

Sure and begorra what a nice puzzle 26 days before St. Patty’s Day, Geoffrey! Cork intimated the theme to me and that turned out to be right. HBD anyway Argyle!

Musings
-ELEMI was an “ain’t never seen afore” for me but, hey, I’m trainable.
-The Orly Airport Holiday Inn is at 4 Ave. Charles Lindberg in Paris
-The National Homestead Monument is in Beatrice, NE. They were made of sterner stuff than I.
-Billy The Exterminator is a fun show and in this episode he confronts a HUGE bee colony! Billy is a prime example of not judging a book by its cover and his show is a hoot.
-I used my favorite Ann Landers quote yesterday, “Is anything better because I say/do this?”
-Most everything I drive on now is a 4 lane highway. I grew up where you could get stuck behind a 35 mph vehicle for miles on a 2 lane! You too, I’ll bet.
-I’m watchin’ the Downton finale today!

desper-otto said...

I don't usually use all of the allotted space, so I feel obliged to waste some. HBD, Argyle. And thank you for the INK CAPS learning moment. I was only familiar with the INK SPOTS.

The puzzle was a speed run, even after starting out with ESTER at 6A (quickly fixed). GALWAY was a gimme -- just listened to Bing singing "Galway Bay" yesterday. Never heard of MAYO as a county, though.

Still, it was almost a DNF. I initially put in BLADE where GLADS should go. ORB looked good, didn't read the clue. But REDEYEE was definitely "off", so GLADS finally appeared to save the day.

Happy Monday, all.

kazie said...

Happy Birthday anyway, Argyle!

I thought this was quite hard for a Monday. I couldn't remember MIR to save myself, and ELEMI was as unknown to me as MESON. I thought there might be a county SCONE, and ruefully forgot the S belonged with ONE'S, so although I did know of CORK, I didn't get that segment right.

I did easily get James Galway and John Kerry, but HOLD THE MAYO took forever because I was looking for a type of sandwich. Since the nearest thing to a deli here is a Subway, and since I never eat out there anyway, while "hold the mayo" might be common parlance to those in cities who get a quick bite at such places, I have never heard it first hand, nor has it ever crossed my lips.

Hahtool,
Great QOD today--so true!

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone. Happy Birthday to Argyle; great commentary as usual.

When I saw the theme looming as a take on Irish counties, I started salivating. I figured they would not be obscure, and they weren't. It was good we had the primer on EIS yesterday:-). My only hesitation was the L in ELEMI, but had a real vague recollection of having seen it before, but I would call it a WAG. 12d and 15a might arguably be a clecho (stir and mix).

STEAD - And also roadstead, defined as: a place less enclosed than a harbor where ships may ride at anchor. Hampton Roads near Lois is an excellent example of a roadstead.

Have a great day.

Abejo said...

Good morning, folks. Thank you, Geoffrey Lewis, for a really good Monday puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for your review.

And, Happy Birthday, Argyle, and many more.

This puzzle worked out quite easily. Yes, there were a couple tough clue/answers for a Monday, but that's OK with me. I got 'em!

Clever theme. I do not know much about Ireland, except I cook corned beef and cabbage each year for our Knights Templar Commandery. That bis a fun feed.

Thought Stealthy Craft/CANOE was a good one. Had me thinking for a while. Was trying to conger up an airplane.

To Hahtool: Like your QOD. It just so happens that Frederick Douglass was featured in the Chicago Tribune today. Today was the anniversary of his death in 1895. He was born into slavery and died in Washington, DC., at age 77.

I am off to donate a pint of blood today with the Chicago Wolves hockey team.

See you tomorrow.

Abejo

Yellowrocks said...

Happy birthday Argyle. Thank you for all your enjoyable and informative blogs, including this one. I left Danny Boy playing in the background as I read on.

My car radio is perpetually tuned to Public Radio Classical. I am a big fan of James Galway.

This puzzle reminded me of my delightful trip to Ireland. My image of rural roads is of the one lane roads in Ireland and Scotland. In Scotland the rural roads were shared by sheep as well. You needed to pull off into pull outs (Lorry lay bys) to let oncoming traffic pass.

When we were in Ireland in early spring. we visited all the counties mentioned. The countryside was all different shades of green. There were fields and fields of daffodils. Lovely.

Even those inthis area who do not watch Emeril have heard his catch words: BAM and "pick it up a notch."

kazie said...

BTW,
I forgot to mention the COBLENZ spelling looks weird. The Germans spell it KOBLENZ, and the French Coblence, so I hesitated for a moment before putting in EIS. It's in the oft disputed Rhine/Rhein area between Belgium/Luxemburg and Germany, thus the spelling anomalies I guess. Maybe Coblenz is the Letzteburgisch name.

carol said...

Hi all,

I will start by wishing 'SANTA' a very Happy Birthday!!! Do something you want today and don't apologize ;)

Now to this pesky puzzle....I sure didn't think it was a Monday level. Words like ELEMI, MESON, LUCRE, EDINA and EIS are more a Wed/Thur type (IMO).

Hand up for TSK, TSK.

26D HABITUE/GOER, boy, that one was a total blank.

I didn't get the theme at all and had to finish 60A before it dawned on me. I was glad for the perp help all through this thingy.

Sigh.

Hahtool, I just love the little kitten in your avitar! It is yours? Looks like a Scottish Fold but maybe a Persian???

Yellowrocks said...

My grandfather raised GLADs. GLADs can't be an abbr. because it is pronounced GLADs. Abbreviations are pronounced like the full word. For example, St. is street. Dr. is doctor. GLAD is more like a nickname.

The same is true of Philly, which we saw in a puzzle a few months ago. Some called it an abbreviation, which it is not. In NJ and eastern PA. Philly is a common nickname for the city and is pronounced Philly. The abbr., Phila., is pronounced Philadelphia.

Anonymous said...

Yellowrocks, it's actually "kick it up a notch".

Mrs. Right said...

Anon: Yellowrocks doesn't make mistakes. She thought she did once, but she was mistaken.

Yellowrocks said...

Anon @8:53 Good catch. I noticed it as I read my post after I published it. Too late!
Mrs. Right @ 9:00 is never snarky.

Splynter said...

Hi There ~!

Seemed a little rough for a Monday, but maybe it's because it's a holiday - but I got through it....however, work at UPS today was much more difficult.

Happy B-day Santa Argyle~!

Space-wasting Splynter

Coach J said...

HBD to Argyle! This was a "homer" for me with a slight trip rounding third (finessed the G in Galway). Ireland is on my bucket list and will be able to go soon now that I'm an empty-nester. Happy Day to all!

Avg Joe said...

Daily tuneagement: Galway Girl.

Hippo-Nonymous said...

More tuneagement: Lady MADONNA.

Virginia said...

Good Morning.

This one seemed a little odd for Monday and when I got to 11D, the first thing that popped into my alleged brain was beespit and I couldn't get past it! When sanity finally returned I got OPIATE and that section fell. I was terrified of a DNF on a Monday! Also tried tsktsk where tuttut should have been but INOROUT took care of that.

Is ELEMI crosswordese I just haden't seen? Really had to plumb the depths to come up with John Kerry. Even more forgettable than I realized. Thanks to the unifier there.

It's never a waste of space to wish someone a happy birthday. so Argyle, I hope it's a great day!

carol said...

I LOVE gladiolas, they are just so stately and come in such beautiful colors or color combinations. My favorite is a soft orchid color and I do love the deep red/scarlet. I also have a yellow with a red 'throat'.

Hahtoolah said...

Virginia: I really got a chuckle out of your initial thought for 11D - Bee Spit! I, too, was flummoxed by that clue. I knew it was BEE something, but the Wax was slow to come to me.

Carol: no, that is not my cat. My cats are cute, but won't stay still long enough for a cute photo. I can get photos of sleeping cats, but those aren't so cute.

desper-otto said...

Here's that Bing Crosby 1947 hit recording -- Galway Bay. I don't admire the way he treated his family, but he sure could sing!.

JD said...

Happy Birthday Argyle, and thanks for all of the time you spend doing our write-ups,

Did this one in my normal Monday time, but had to pull up some words that I knew, but rarely hear/see.My only look up came after I filled in GOER to see the meaning of HABITUE.Lots of my problems stem from the spelling of words that I only hear, like Mir. I filled in the M_R, but had to wag the I.

My DH took a red eye every Sunday night for the last 10 years with IBM.I picked him up every Friday after school.

Interesting article on County Mayo. I have no idea why my sister (and aunt) had that name; Irish was not in my Dad's tree.

Hahtool, good quote today

Lucina said...

Happy Presidents' Day, friends. And Happy, happy, happy, happy birthday, dear Argyle! We can't let this day go by without acknowledging our M/T commentator. No way.

This was a lovely sashay through some of Erin's counties. JOHN KERRY and JAMES GALWAY came to mind quickly. I, too, have heard the latter many times on the classical station.

ELEMI, EDINA, MESON, UNIX and EIS have all made appearances in previous puzzles.

I love GLADS and grew them one year. They were gloriously colorful.

Hahtool, love that QOD. If only we could make it the national motto.

Have a superb Monday, everyone!

Irish Miss said...

Top 'o the mornin' to ye all!

First, Happy Birthday, Argyle, and thanks for the great write-up and the shout out for Troy. I had an Aunt Helen and we used to tease her with " Helen of Troy" remarks.

Second, thanks Mr. Lewis for a fun puzzle. For this "Irish Lass" it was easy-peasy and timely as we are so close to St. Paddy's Day.

I have been to Ireland and two things stand out in my memory, the first being the breathtaking greenness of the countryside (no wonder why it's called the Emerald Isle) and the second being the warm and welcoming Irish people.

Happy Monday to all.

xyz said...

ELEMI crossing INK CAP took me a little while because when I pop a CORK (Champagne! I'm usually happy. I guess I need to ROTE up a little more. Amazing the things you cough up after years of puzzles - like EDINA just falling out before the clue is fully read.

The nerd in me really liked seeing MESON. I was a Science Nerd way back in the sixties before it was cool, rats - born too durned early, coulda had a hot chick like Penny way back then ....

Me LIKEE Puzzle .

Bonne Anniversaire Argyle, I was never any good at following orders

Zcarguy said...

Morning all,
Happy birthday Argyle

I've noticed many times some bloggers mention
that certain words are more like a Wed. Thurs. type of
Difficulty. like say ELEMI
Personally I don't see any difference . I mean
if ELEMI was in a Saturday puzzle say would it
a no brainer ? I don't think so

I'm a Lebanese Catholic and we pray to Allah
It's amazing that we can learn and know of Irish
Counties, and still refer to Allah as an Islamic god.

Y'all have a good day!

Bill G. said...

I know it's not necessary but what the heck. Happy birthday anyway! Thanks for your effort on the always excellent writeup.

The intersection of ELEMI and INKCAP was tough for me since I didn't know either word.

Has there ever been a prettier melody than Danny Boy? Thanks for the link.

I was saddened by the 'Swift Boating' of John Kerry. I thought of him as intelligent and considerate. It would have been interesting to see what kind of a president he might have become. I think he was treated very badly.

I don't think I've ever said 'Hold the mayo.' I have said 'Hold the onions' when ordering a pizza, burger or salad though.

Misty said...

Thanks, Mr. Lewis, for a great start to the week. After my disastrous Saturday solving, this one was a great relief--helped by having once spent two months in Ireland with my mom many years ago. We loved the folks there who invariably went out of their way to greet us and make us feel welcome. So this puzzle was a real delight!

I won't wish Argyle a HB on account of the request, but am tickled by the nickname of 'Santa'? Is there a story behind this?

My husband's ex-wife planted yellow glads in his garden, which I inherited when we married. Couldn't get rid of them, and for years they've popped up in the oddest places. In time, the yellow mellowed me, and I now like them!

Great start to a busy week, so thanks again, and have a good one, everybody!

xyz said...

p.s. HOLD THE MAYO and my wife's name RENEE so close together was just fantastic! Now if my daughter had her name worked into the puzzle, too, well, then I'd be really impressed.

Anonymous said...

Good afternoon everyone.

Happy birthday Argyle. Hope you have a wonderful celebration.

I loved this puzzle. It's Monday, and I could do it all. The perps gave me ELEMI, and INKCAP. (My spell check doesn't like any of the nouns in the previous sentence.)

And as for GLADS, the clue says briefly, which indicates an abbreviation.

I truly love the theme and its answers. Thank you Geoffrey Lewis!

Cheers

Steven J. St. John said...

Zcarguy -

Interesting point you make about Allah being the Lebanese Catholic name for God as well. I'm sure that will be news to some but keep in mind it doesn't make the crossword clue in this puzzle wrong:

ALLAH - Islamic deity

This is correct, whether or not the name is used by other religions as well.

For example, if a clue had been:

UNO - One, to a Spaniard

This clue would also be legitimate even though a Mexican and an Italian would also say "uno" to mean "one".

My birthday wishes as well to Argyle.

Papa Cass said...

Marti, I thought you created a very enjoyable Monday puzzle. The mix of less known words combined with easier clues was done expertly.

I had not run across INKCAP before but the clue made it very WAGable.

Oh course it was tricky as well. Right Virginia, BEESPIT, love it.

Great puzzle!

Zcarguy said...

Steven J St. John,

Allah is god to all Arabic speaking nations
it is not specific to Islam , Christian , Bahai,
Duruz, or Catholic.

Mohamed in the other hand is an Islamic deity
and us Catholics don't pray but to Allah including
a Spaniard in an Arab nation church.

Hope this makes my point.

HeartRx said...

Papa Cass, I would really like to take credit for this fun Monday LAT puzzle, but I can't. My puzzle was the "Curious Conundrum" one, with a different link at the top of today's blog. Sorry for any confusion!

I just arrived home after spending the weekend with DH in New York City. Has anyone heard of the "High Line" park there? It's a wonderful walking trail, recently built onto one of the old elevated train tracks. Lovely plantings and artwork to delight the eye, along with great views looking down onto the cityscapes. I highly recommend it to anyone who plans to visit!

Steve said...

Very enjoyable puzzle, and a nice Birthday write-up there, Argyle!

I tried STAND before STEAD, all this blog's baseball knowledge has finally sunk in - too far!

Tend to agree with @Zcarguy about certain words not being more or less suitable for certain days of the week. If you know 'em, they're "Monday", if you don't know 'em, they're "Saturday". Very subjective. Degree of difficulty for me is all in the cluing.

crossword girl said...

Just had to stop by and wish the

hardest working man on the Internet a very happy birthday!I know you're busy, but ever thought about posting this blog on Facebook?
Hahtool, see you at the parade tomorrow!

PK said...

Hi Y"all,

'Tis a fine soft Irish morning here (aka rainy).

Great puzzle, no errors! HBD to A! (No waste space). Thanks for the Galway link. We've been fans of his for years. My daughter is a flutist.

My Irish grandpop had a mother born in Co. Cork and father born in Co. Mayo. They immigrated to Pennsylvania before the Civil War and pioneered in Kansas. Had nine boys and one girl. Always wanted to see Ireland. My flutist went.

Anonymous said...

Re: Marti's "F-Stop" puzzle and CC's note, it's a pangram save the "F" (naturally!).

Ron Worden said...

Good afternoon to all, and thanks to Argyle and HBTY. Great and fun puzzle for Mon. no writeovers,or slip-ups. I have seen elemi in puzzles before. Loved the Irish theme and thanks for Danny Boy,as it was one of my Dads favorites. Have a great day to all the weather is perfect here today, wish everyone could be here.RJW.

Argyle said...

I've had a busy morning; this was in the spam trap. Sorry.


More tuneagement: Lady MADONNA.
By Hippo-Nonymous on Monday, February 20, 2012 @ 9:48 AM

Chickie said...

Hola Everyone, It is never wasting space to wish our Santa (Argyle) a happy birthday.

I found the few foreign words and names today to be a bit more challenging than most Monday puzzles.

I didn't have any lookups today, but Elemi, Meson, and Lucre are usually not Monday fare.

Hands up for Tsk Tsk.

Hatool, the QOD today is soooo true.

Have a great rest of the holiday for those of you who have today off.

Papa Cass said...

Thanks Marti for the clarification and the second puzzle. Enjoyed that one as well.

A twofer Monday.

It would prefect except that my tennis partner pulled a hamstring this morning and will probably be out at least a couple of weeks. A bummer.

Jayce said...

Hello everybody. I gotta say, WGS: What Grumpy1 Said. Today I filled in as many acrosses as I could, without looking at the Down clues, then went through the Down clues, filling in the parts that were still blank after doing the Acrosses. Then, almost to my own surprise, I was done. Only then did I go back and think about entries like ELEMI and INKCAP, doing research on the items I was not familiar with.

I'm gonna waste space and wish you a super duper birthday, Argyle.

And then I'm going to use up 3 more lines noting that my wishing Argyle a happy birthday took 2 posting lines :)

It was worth it!

Jayce said...

I consider "Allah" to be simply "God" in another language, like "Dieu," "Dios," "Gott," etc.

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

Damnit Argyle, you can run from birthdays, but you can't hide from your friends at The Corner. HBD!

ELEMI is not elementary.

If the INS is in a bad mood, it DEPORTS on REDEYES.

After reading the INK CAP toxicity report, I have to caution, no INK CAPS at sunset.

If Mr. Simpson played baseball, but couldn't hit on the road, when he put a ball over the wall, it would be a HOMER HOMER HOMER.

I like Miracle Whip, but cannot stand MAYO.

Don't recall seeing JAMES GALWAY in a puzzle before. Interesting to find him with occasional crossword denizen Kiri Te Kanawa. She has a very pure voice.

Isn't TWO LANE a college in Nwo Orleans?

Cheers!
JzB not ASHAMED (but probably should be)

LaLaLinda said...

Hi Everyone ~~

I enjoyed this puzzle and had no real problems. I paused at 'Stealthy craft'/CANOE but it did fit. For some reason I always remember ELEMI from my puzzle-solving in the "old days." I guess it's become part of my 'crosswordese.'

I caught the theme after CORK and GALWAY ... MAYO was the only one I wasn't familiar with. MESON and INKCAP were my new words of the day. I liked MOSEYED!

Thanks for a great write-up ~~ lots of info and enjoyable links and...

H A P P Y ~ B I R T H D A Y, A R G Y L E!

Avg Joe said...

Puzzle vewy wich in musical tie-ins today.

More tuneagement: Two Lane Highway.

lois said...

Good afternoon Argyle, CC, et al., Loved this puzzle! Excellent job, Argyle, as always. Thank you for the links esp Danny Boy and the PSA on popping one's cork (LOL). Well done!

Not a fly by but close. Almost laughed my ASHE off so many times.
great latent meaning: DIRTY,OPIATE DEN, IN OR OUT? PUT IN, SES-A-ME, AAH(ED)!! BAM!!HOMER! REDEYES are telling signs of EGOs gone awry and of those who DID not HOLD THE MAYO but DID hold their breaths while smoking inSTEAD. CANOE guess what was being smoked? wasn't BEESWAX.

Happy Happy Birthday, SANTA darlin'. I hope this day is especially memorable for you. You are sooo deserving. Cheers to you now and at Happy Hour!

CrazyCat said...

Happy Birthday Argyle!

What everyone else said.

Found this Monday easy, but had no idea what ELEMI and MESON were. Both are new to me. INK CAP was an unknown too, but made sense.

Never even saw TUT TUT. Had DRONE, before CANOE. Does anyone wear ETONS anymore?

Ireland is on my bucket list.

Marge said...

Hi all,

This puzzle didn't seem much harder than most Mondays are, I enjoyed it.

When our son Dan was a baby I used to sing Danny Boy to him to rock him to sleep. Wow! Thar's 50 years ago.

When we went to Mall of America we stayed in Edina so I always remember that.

D-O. I read about how Bing Crosby mistreated his first family. I found it sad when I read it years ago.

On Saturday's puzzle, Caleb was easy as we talked about him in our Bible study just last week.

Happy Birthday Argyle and thanks for all you do for the blog. and a special thank you to CC for having this fun blog.

Have a good week!
Marge

Eddie said...

Couldn't finish without a little help from the internet, which is always a little frustrating on a Monday. Had four letters around the ELEMI region that were blank. My favorite clue was Twin Cities suburb, because I live in the cities and I wonder how people actually knew of Edina. Overall I enjoyed the puzzle.

Marge said...

PS
In Saturday's puzzle Web sites were mentioned. Our son has a web site called Music News Nashville. It is geared toward country musicians and people who love country music.He always has a quote of the day.

Today's was:I'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I' not dumb and I'm not blonde.
Dolly Parton.

Marge

CrossEyedDave said...

An enjoyable Monday puzzle, but i did have a big empty space north & center. Took a break, came back, and still could not break into the hole even with Mi"r" making county Cork most likely. Had to Google James, guess i just had "John" stuck in my head. after that it all fell together neatly.

LaLaLinda, love that Calico!

(I will never eat wild mushrooms with wine again! Tx 4 the heads up)

Argyle, i was going to go with Cats, but after seeing your Pic, thought you might prefer Dogs.

I hear ya on the space issue, it drives me nuts that i have to click on all these stupid links that everone,,, um,,,, er,,,,AW NUTS!

Anonymous said...

Hey tons of thanks for those of you yesterday complaining about the NYT xword for spoiling not only yesterday's puzzle but next weeks too. I for one do both LA and NYT and don't appreciate spoilers. If you don't like NYT xwords, fine,they have their own blog you can go to to complain. Thank you. cw

Lucina said...

Just in case anyone is interested, spring training started today with 15 teams participating here in the Valley of the Sun.

fermatprime said...

Greetings!

Happy Birthday Argyle!

A bit hard for a Monday, but no need to cheat. Worked this last night when I was so tired that I put in JAMES and blanked out for a while on GALWAY.

Yellowrocks: My radio is always tuned to Classical KUSC. Even during pledge breaks, when one gets overdosed on Gershwin. Friend Harvey pays to get digital radio and has 2 classical channels at least. DirecTV has a symphonic channel guaranteed to play Symphonie Fantastique once a day, it seems. It is very sad that classical channels keep disappearing around the country.

Some of you are able to type musical notes in the blog. Please tell me how to do this!

Cheers!

Bill G. said...

Bird feeds doggy pal

Argyle said...

Misty@11:28 AM

I hope this avatar helps answer your question. There is more to the story but it will take awhile to locate it.

Argyle said...

Here it is, near the bottom. I hadn't used my picture before this point. link.

Hahtoolah said...

More tuneagement, this time for 21-Across.

NJ Irish said...

Slàinte to ya Arglye,

these guys are the reason I went to Ireland the first time. I watched a PBS show and they sang songs from their homeland I had never heard before. This is the one that sent out for my passport the next day Grace Had to see Kilmainham Gaol. So much history. Anthony laughed when I told him I planned my tour to see all the places they sang about. It worked, I got to see a lot of Ireland. Just GO! You won't be disappointed.

NJ Irish said...

Ment to say I enjoyed this puzzle. I've seen inkcap before so that sure helped with elemi. Got the theme so "hold the mayo" was a gimme and a chuckle.

Thanks Mr Lewis for a great trip down memory lane, Cork , Galway, etc

Bill G. said...

I'm very much a novice at this but I'm going to try to post two photos; one of the hummingbird nest with two tiny eggs and the other of the babies about five days old.
Hummingbirds

LaLaLinda said...

CrossEyedDave ~~ The vet said this kitty is a "tortie" - tortoiseshell. But on her underside she has a lot of white, which is more like a calico. I guess she may be a mix. She's the oldest of my three - almost 15!

LaLaLinda said...

Wow ~ wonderful pictures, Bill G!

NJ Irish said...

Bill G.
Great pictures, how'd you get that close?

Bill G. said...

The adults built this very solid-looking nest in the lower branches of a camilla bush. The bush itself is in an elevated planter box, so while the nest is in the lower branches, it is about four feet off the ground. My wife held her camera up in the air aimed down in the general direction of the nest and hoped for the best. Here is
Mommy (or Daddy?) sitting on the eggs a few days ago, back before they hatched.

NJ Irish said...

WOW!!! Great shot! Are you in a warmer climate? We don't see hummers until mid summer in NJ

Bill G. said...

NJIrish, yes, warmer I think. We live in Manhattan Beach near the coast in the Los Angeles area. Today, the high was around 60 F. It's supposed to be in the low 70s for the next few days.

I appreciate the help from several of you regarding being able to post a photo with a web URL. I'm just a beginner at it. It always seems nice to see photos of the Corner denizens and their activities but the avatar photos leave a lot to be desired in terms of size and quality.

lois said...

Santa baby 7 pm: LOVED LOVED LOVED that link back to 2008. What a hoot of a time! It was fun reading all the comments.It's hilarious to think that Dennis' new business interest (Boob and Lube) is such a natural progression from those days. And such a darling Santa you are too. I hope you celebrated your day in high fashion with lots of love and attention. I wish you many many more. You rock!

lois said...

Bill G: forgot to say how much I liked the pix of the hummingbirds. It's utterly amazing that y'all were able to get that close. Great shot!

Bill G. said...

Thanks for the kind words. Because of their agility when flying, I think hummingbirds are practically fearless. You can go up pretty close to the nest when the mother or father is there and they don't fly away. When the babies are by themselves, they are completely motionless and quiet.

Lemonade714 said...

Well damn, Happy Birthday Argyle and many more

Lucina said...

Nice photos, Bill, and remarkably close, too.

JD said...

Great photos Bill...and the bird feeding the dog was cute too. I may give you a shout about how to post those pictures.

Susan said...

Bill G, love your pictures. Adore hummingbirds. We have hundreds in the summer; have four feeders that we have to fill every day--sometimes more. I have some great pictures which I don't know how to post.

I also have pictures of a little owl that lives in a birdhouse just outside the laundry room window. "Lil Hoot" or an offspring has wintered here for five years. In the summer he leaves the birdhouse but I often hear him at night.

A bad thing is I watched him destroy a birds nest under my porch. A good thing is I'm sure he gets lots of mice which are a problem where I live.

(Whisper) HBD Argyle!